Exodus 33:8

8 {And} at the going out of Moses to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the opening of his tent, and gaze after Moses until his entering the tent.

Exodus 33:8 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 33:8

And it came to pass, when Moses went out of the tabernacle,
&c.] For when he had pitched it he did not continue there; which shows it was not the tent or tabernacle he dwelt in, but whither he went to and fro, both to meet the Lord in it, and transact the affairs of the people, and especially the great affair now depending between God and them:

[that] all the people rose up:
in reverence of him as their ruler, and the minister of God, and as their Mediator between God and them, though they had but lately thought and spoke very meanly and contemptibly of him, ( Exodus 32:1 ) see ( Job 29:8 )

and stood every man at his tent door;
none offering to go in, nor to sit down until he was gone into the tabernacle, which was an instance of their respect to him:

and looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle;
kept their eye on him as long as they could see him, thereby expressing their esteem of him, signifying their desire that he would intercede for them, and wishing him success therein: the Targum of Jonathan interprets all this of the ungodly among them that looked after Moses with an evil eye.

Exodus 33:8 In-Context

6 And the {Israelites} stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb [onward].

7 And Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp, and he called it the tent of assembly, {and} all seeking Yahweh would go out to the tent of assembly, which [was] outside the camp.

8 {And} at the going out of Moses to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the opening of his tent, and gaze after Moses until his entering the tent.

9 {And} at the entering of Moses [into] the tent the column of cloud would descend and stand [at] the opening of the tent, and he would speak with Moses.

10 And all the people would see the column of cloud standing [at] the opening of the tent, and all the people would rise and bow in worship, each [at] the opening of his tent.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "and it would be"